» Uncategorized

Look around you on any given day and you will see words and symbols that represent businesses large and small. Every time you see the distinctive swoosh, you know that the products come from Nike; and when you see that wave, you know it’s Coca-Cola. Even if consumers cannot identify the company behind the good or service, they know that it is the same company and can rely on what they know about those goods or services. Words and symbols… Read More

The scenario has become all too familiar to trucking and logging companies in Virginia – a truck owned by the company is involved in a collision, and the State Police arrive at the scene and immediately summon a towing company from a pre-approved rotation list maintained by the Commonwealth. Irrespective of whether the truck owner has a preferred towing company that is ready, willing and able to respond – and even if that preferred vendor can respond more quickly than… Read More

The headlines show an American trucking industry dealing with significant challenges, one of which is recruiting and retaining drivers. The American Trucking Association reported a shortage of 80,000 drivers for the year 2021 and a possible shortage of 160,000 drivers by 2030. As a result of this demand, new truck drivers are seeing salaries of $110,000, up from an average starting salary of $87,000, as well as additional bonuses and perks. Faced with a thin and competitive recruiting pool, trucking… Read More

You’re cruising down the road, just you and one other vehicle are running side by side. Suddenly, the other car swerves in front of you and hits their brakes causing your vehicle to rear end them. Local police are called, and they take the position that you must be at fault because you struck the other vehicle in the rear. Now you are stuck wondering, how in the world do I even begin to handle this mess? This situation can… Read More

Happy holidays and bright wishes for the new year! This special time of year, it never hurts to look forward to the ways our laws are changing in the coming days. Virginia updates its laws on January 1 and July 1 each year, when the changes from previous legislative sessions go into effect. This year, there are several changes coming up that everyone should be aware of, whether you’re engaged in business, contracting and subcontracting, or you’re a consumer. Let’s… Read More

It has been fifty years since the District of Columbia (“DC”) enacted laws governing debt collection, and lawmakers felt it was time for a change. A big change, in fact. From the original title of DC Law 28-3814, which was simply, “Debt Collection,” emerged a compassionately named enactment called the “Protecting Consumers From Unjust Debt Collection Practices Amendment Act of 2022.” Yes, that’s quite a mouthful, and reducing it to an acronym doesn’t help: PCFUDCPAA. Nevertheless, this reformation of the… Read More

Happy Holidays! Setliff Law is proud to help our clients solve unique problems nationwide. Sometimes, though, we see issues that pop up with some regularity, especially around the holidays. With that in mind, and in the spirit of giving, here are some common questions from clients that we’ve had the pleasure of answering during Christmases past. “Last year, one of our guests – my grandmother, actually – had her fill of eggnog at our family holiday party. She tried walking… Read More

Well, it has finally happened. After being the very last state in the nation not to allow an appeal of right in civil cases, Former Governor Ralph Northam signed Senate Bill 1261 (“S.B. 1261”) into law. Under S.B. 1261, as of January 1, 2022, civil litigants now have the right to appeal final judgments from the Circuit Court to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Formerly, if a civil litigant was unhappy with the ruling of a Circuit Court which was… Read More